Moment In Time
by pavelcchekov
Summary: Just a bit of sick, pre-teen Patroclus and a lovely, caring Achilles to look after him. No slash.


Alright. Hi there. Thanks for clicking on my story. No warnings for this, just a sick, pre-teen Patroclus and a loving Achilles ready to take care of him. Oh, and sorry about the length, I know it's a little short.

I don't own.

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><p>"Achilles..."<p>

Achilles groaned and pressed his face into the pillow. Whatever Patroclus wanted, it could wait. A small finger prodded his shoulder, and he attempted to swat it away.

"... Cousin?"

Achilles sighed and rolled over, cracking an eye open and grimacing at the light streaming in. It was much too early to be awake. Whatever his cousin had to say, it better be good.

"What, Patroclus," Achilles ground out, still not fully awake. He squinted in the general direction of his little cousin, who was standing in front of him.

"Achilles, I'm sick," Patroclus said, sniffing pathetically. He had a threadbare blanket wrapped tight around his shoulders, and his small frame was shivering, even in the hot morning sun. He looked miserable.

Achilles sighed a little, more out of pity than annoyance this time. It was no wonder Patroclus was sick; Achilles should have been expecting this. Patroclus had been training hard for the past week, and Achilles knew he still wasn't sleeping properly - the death of his parents haunted his dreams, even though the boy denied it.

Achilles looked up at his cousin with groggy eyes, blinking once or twice to clear his vision. His little cousin sniffled again, looking tired and unhappy. His face was pale, and Achilles faintly wondered if the child was going to throw up.

Achilles stared at his cousin for a second, then lifted his blanket. "Come on, little cousin. In you get." Patroclus grinned sloppily and scrambled under the blankets, curling up to his cousin's warm frame.

"Now, Patroclus, tell me where it hurts." Achilles wasn't upset over the loss of sleep, and now that he was awake, he was more or less prepared to look after his cousin.

"Everywhere," Patroclus said sleepily as he curled up tighter underneath the blankets. "'M achy and cold and my throat hurts."

Achilles sighed and pressed his hand to the boy's forehead; burning, as he suspected. Patroclus leaned into his had, revelling the cool touch. Achilles could feel the heat radiating off the small body beside him, but he didn't think the fever was too high yet.

"Do you feel sick?" he asked somewhat cautiously - he did not want to have to deal with a nauseous child. To his relief, Patroclus shook his head without opening his eyes. All he seemed to want to do was sleep. Well, Achilles had no qualms with that. He lay back down beside his cousin and felt the boy move to rest his burning forehead against Achilles' shoulder.

Achilles had never dealt with a sick Patroclus before, and he was thankful that the boy seemed relatively placid and compliant. A far cry from Achilles' own moody and sullen disposition when ill, he thought with a small grin. He wondered if there was any water in the house, though Achilles didn't really want to leave his sick cousin alone, even for a few minutes.

"Patroclus, I'm going to get some water," Achilles said softly as he eased himself out from underneath the blanket. "You need to drink. Do you feel like eating anything?"

Patroclus seemed to think for a moment, before shaking his head somewhat sheepishly. "I don't think I could keep anything down, Achilles," he said mournfully. Achilles smiled a little and smoothed his cousin's long hair for a moment, while checking his temperature in the same movement. "That's okay, cousin. We'll see how you feel after a rest."

Achilles returned a few minutes later with a bowl of water and a cloth, as well as some flatbread. He reluctantly shook the boy awake - he was obviously very tired, and Achilles loathed to disrupt his rest - and got Patroclus to sit up and drink some of the water, using the rest to cool his cousin's forehead. He himself chewed on the flatbread as he worked, leaving a piece or two for Patroclus in case he recovered his appetite.

Fifteen minutes and three bowls of water later, Patroclus' fever seemed to have gone down some, but the kid was still miserable. Achilles pulled up a chair and sat down beside the boy, prepared to look after him while he slept. Patroclus was evidently having trouble sleeping, tossing and turning and sighing, so Achilles smoothed his cousin's hair and hummed a sort of lullaby. He didn't know the words, or even most of the tune, but he faintly remembered it from his own childhood. It seemed to calm Patroclus, who stopped tossing and turning. Achilles remained in the chair, humming the tune until Patroclus was fast asleep.

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><p>Enjoy? Comments andor contructive critisism would be most appreciated.


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